Just a Kiss
by tragicfriday
Summary: Puck has dated every type of girl out there, but none of his relationships ever seem to be the right one. They always want someone else. In the end will he finally get the girl or will fate get in the way? Season 3 AU Puck/OC R&R Please
1. Welcome to Paradise

**AN: So this is my very first attempt at a glee fic therefore the journey should be interesting for the both of us. This is also going to be the first story uploaded after a very long hiatus. The story overall will be AU but I do plan to incorporate some things from the actual content of the show during season 3. This story will begin in the beginning of season 3. I just could not get the idea out of my head so here goes. I also don't own any of the characters except the OC's you do not previously recognize.**

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><p><em>Dear mother,<em>  
><em>Can you hear me whining?<em>  
><em>It's been three whole weeks<em>  
><em>Since that I have left your home<em>  
><em>This sudden fear has left me trembling<em>  
><em>Cause now it seems that I am out here on my own<em>  
><em>And I'm feeling so alone<em>

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Welcome to Paradise<strong>

Marissa Novak began her first day back to school hitting the floorboards like a pile of bricks. If anyone else in the house actually cared or were not suffering a routine alcohol induced blackout, they may have scurried up the attic steps to check on her. Seeing as there were no such inhabitants, Marissa's slight embarrassment was hers alone to bear. It had been about a month since her beloved friend Kailani had left for a visit with her grandparents who still resided in Hawaii. She was gone till the end of summer which forced Marissa to bite the bullet and go back to her father's house. Yet even after almost a month, she was unable to get used to sleeping in this awfully small twin bed. Marissa stumbled over to her dresser fumbling with the drawers to find something to wear. A pair of dark denim jeans and a maroon t-shirt would be just fine.

To say that Marissa and her father did not get along would be the understatement of a lifetime. It wasn't till 6 months ago that they even spoke a word to each other, yet she was supposed to live with him until the next summer when she would finally be 18. Her mother had raised her in California, and after meeting her father in person, she could see exactly why. Alcoholism and cruelty were his most obvious traits, but let's not forget his racist mindset either. Kailani was only known by one name to him and that was "the savage". After that incident, Marissa learned never to bring another person to this house again. When she looked in the mirror, she was reminded that she was nothing like him, not even in appearance. Her pale complexion and thick dark brown waves directly resembled her mothers. The piercing blue eyes staring back at her were identical to her grandmother's. Her father had honey blond hair and dark chocolate eyes that never lightened.

Her parents had both been from this small town of Lima, Ohio but her mother had been the only one with the guts to leave and never look back. Her grandfather had followed shortly after his wife passed on when Marissa was about 3 years of age. From that day on, her mother and grandfather were her world. She benefitted from the surrogate father figure till his timely death when she was 12. Marissa always smiled when she got into his blue 1969 Camaro that was now hers. He used to take her to the local ice cream shop on the way to the pier for fishing, she remembered fondly. This car was really the only thing she had left that was still the same as she remembered.

Since she had met "Lani" and they bonded over their involuntary displacement from their dwellings by the sea, she had heavily relied on her as a way out of the confinement of her father's presence. For the first part of the summer, Marissa had become a permanent fixture at their estate on the outskirts of town. Lani loved to dance so the girls spent most of their free time developing dance routines and listening to music. As a result Marissa had lost a lot of the weight she had put on after her mother's death. While Lani had been gone, she started volunteering around town for another excuse not to be home. Marissa was probably the only senior right now that was ecstatic for the beginning of the semester.

As she made her way through the mass of students to get to class, there were none of the regular "hey, how was your summer"s or "oh it's so good to see you"s because aside from Lani, nobody knew who she was. She had kept to herself mostly and flew under the radar when the opportunity arose. Mckinley High was nothing to brag about except their levels of gossip seemed to be at a record breaking high. Marissa had believed that flying under the radar had been her only saving grace. People still couldn't place a name to her face if their life depended on it, and frankly that was fine by her. There were days when she honestly thought people looked right through her without noticing her existence at all. She had never been like that before, but social interactions just had not felt the same since. The more people who knew her, the more sympathetic stares she would have to endure, and she just hated the thought with a passion.

This year would be different than the last. It had to be and it would be, Marissa had decided over the summer. This was her senior year and she was determined to make the most of it. Transferring to a new school midway through junior year had been far from ideal but she had survived so far. She would raise her grades back to the A and B range that they had never strayed from until the year before. Focus was key. All she needed to do was be attentive and all would be back to normal again. Wait what are we doing? As if on cue she was brought back to reality, when the teacher stopped talking and students started getting up out of their seats and forming a line. Had they not just finished taking attendance a few minutes ago? This was only her first class of the day and she was already falling into the daydreaming habit she had picked up recently to distract herself almost constantly. Photography seemed like a great class to take to maybe express those pent up feelings that muddled her thoughts. She had loved taking photos of friends and events and the world around her before so why not get an art credit for it now? When it was her turn, she walked up to the teacher, responded with her name and was assigned a camera. Apparently she had lucked out because the school had cut the art department's budget, so some people would have to share equipment but no one was familiar enough with her to ask. They had not gotten new cameras this year but at one point when the faculty actually cared about photography they had insisted on multiple dark rooms to increase productivity and decrease wait times. Now that just meant you would have to squeeze into one of these cubicle dark rooms with an extra person to bump into. As the teacher began going over the syllabus but before she could tune out in the back of the classroom, the door abruptly flew open.

"Noah Puckerman" the teacher announced. "Am I going to have the pleasure of you in my class once again this semester?" She sighed.

The guy genuinely looked apologetic when he replied. "Yea sorry I'm late teach, there was some scheduling errors down at the office. Won't be a habit."

"Alright well I think there's a seat left in the back. Here is a copy of the syllabus. You unfortunately missed equipment assigning which means someone is going to have to volunteer to be your partner." She looked at the class expectantly.

Marissa looked around the room and not one hand had risen to help out. She found this a bit surprising since the guy definitely did not lack in the looks department. Although it was now common knowledge that he was repeating the course, that could be it. But really that didn't seem like a big enough deal for literally every guy in the class to avert their eyes from the front of the room and desperately look for something interesting in the syllabus that might just appear if they willed and searched hard enough. Noah Puckerman, the name sounded familiar and she could have sworn she had seen him before even if she had not kept up with the latest crucial gossip. People dawning mohawks did tend to stick out in the mind's eye. Before the teacher had to draw names out of a hat or that student had to bare a moment more of ridicule, she felt her hand slowly rise above her head. If she had to place a bet, she would most likely regret the decision later but she was not completely void of emotion, especially empathy. The teacher gave her a grateful smile and asked for her name once again, making it apparent that Marissa had not made an impression earlier.

"Marissa Novak." She emphasized and inwardly threatened her that she better not forget her name and act of compassion when final grades were posted.

As if he had received a sudden burst of reassurance to his ego, Puck sauntered to the back of the classroom and settled into the open seat beside hers.

"Thanks" he whispered to her with a grin.

She gave him a small smile and a reassuring "no problem".

"You can call me Puck…everyone does."

"I thought your name was Noah." She said in a tone that seemed more questioning than fact, which earned a chuckle from him.

"You can call me whatever you like baby."

Marissa almost had to do a double take because she simply could not believe there was the possibility he had actually winked at her. 'Oh boy this was going to be an interesting semester' she thought turning her attention back to the teacher.

The rest of class period was dull like most first days tend to be but their teacher was gracious enough to provide a homework assignment on the first day back from break. They would have to go through and read all about the different features of the camera in the textbook and fill out a worksheet. This way they would be able to begin with projects sooner she had reasoned. Being in a classroom for extended amounts of time was something Marissa personally detested, and one of the main reasons for taking this course was because she had heard the teacher allowed them to just go outside and around the campus in search of inspiration and taking photographs. As soon as the teacher dismissed the students, which happened to be a couple of minutes early as if trying to get back into their good graces, Marissa ambled out attempting to try and find the science wing. Literally out of nowhere, someone tapped her on the shoulder so lightly, for a moment she almost thought she had imagined the sensation. She swung around so fast, as if trying to catch the fleeting feeling before it disappeared, that she was pretty sure he thought she was going to punch him.

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. I just wanted to say thanks again for partnering up with me." There he was again with that same smirk.

"It's really not a problem, like I said. We can say you owe me one if it makes you feel better." She brushed it off and continued walking down the hall.

To her surprise, he continued along beside her and attempted to make conversation.

"Do you like coffee?"

"Love it." She confessed

"Well I could bring you some tomorrow morning if you'd like. It makes getting through Mrs, Hannigan's lectures bearable."

"Ok but you still owe me." She highly doubted he would make good on the offer let alone remember that early in the day.

"Of course, I'll happily owe you anything you choose." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"You're pretty forward with all of your innuendoes. Does that usually work with other girls?" He stared at her a bit caught off guard. "I mean we did just meet. What if they offended me?" she continued with a serious straight face.

"I'm sorry, are you offended?" he asked showing honest concern.

"Well no" she giggled. "I might be if I didn't have an endless supply of my own that are pretty clever if I do say so myself. Yours do successfully make me laugh though. I appreciate good humor." That sounded a lot flirtier than she had originally intended. Was that a glimmer of her former self?

"Are you questioning my badassness?"

"How can I when we just met? I haven't figured you out just yet."

"You will though" he assured.

"Okay well, I should be getting to my anatomy class…..if I could find it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"What room?"

"405."

"I'll have you there in a few seconds, come on." He grabbed Marissa's hand and led her down the hall a ways and up a flight of stairs. The simple act of Puck grabbing her hand, made Marissa need to catch a breath. Well it could have been the fact that he was practically dragging her along, because when he said a few seconds, he had meant it. Although it most likely wasn't that because she was in the best shape she had been in a long time.

"Artie man, wait up!" Puck briskly walked toward a boy in a wheelchair who was approaching the classroom marked 405. She recognized him from previous times volunteering to hold various doors open, but had never caught his name.

"Hey puck, are you taking anatomy too?" he asked with a furrowed brow as if skeptic of the idea.

"Naw I'm off to es-pan-yol with Schuester, Finn, and Mike. But my girl Marissa here is so you can keep her company for me." And as quick as he had appeared he was gone.

Upon entering the classroom Artie seemed to get psyched, then proceeded to roll over to a table with four chairs that only had one occupied so far. A blonde guy with blue eyes gave a huge smile. They greeted each other with an air of familiarity and she was soon introduced to the boy Sam. After meeting him, she swore mentally that the Bieber song would haunt her for the rest of the day. After 15 minutes had gone by and there was still no sign of the teacher, the students all became restless. Then suddenly the door popped open and in ran Santana Lopez, the local queen of bitch fits. Marissa had never spoken to her, but she had witnessed her getting wiped across the floors by a much larger girl last year. Santana was sporting a look of dread as she approached their table.

"We are all screwed."she said sitting down on the other side of Sam. She then proceeded to explain that Sue Sylvester was replacing our teacher who was assigned previously. Marissa watched ad heard several students bang their heads down onto the tables and curse under their breath when Sue appeared in the doorway, making her presence known. She instantly wondered how a cheerleading coach from hell was going to teach them about the internal body structures. Although as soon as Sue opened her mouth, she realized there would be a lot more to worry about than just that issue. Sue began taking attendance, but instead of going through the list like any normal teacher would, she decided to rename each student with a specific nickname she preferred. According to Sue, Marissa had fallen into a social black hole by associating with glee club members. After the attention was off her, she caught Santana giving her a look filled with questions, which she guessed was based on the fact they did not really know each other and Sue basically had just drawn attention to that fact. And as if on cue, Santana vocalized the inner question of who exactly was she?

"She's dating Puck." Artie replied as if it was common knowledge.

"Um no, we actually just met today. We share photo equipment, that's all." Marissa assured.

"If that's what you call it. Wait till Quinn finds out. " Santana sneered.

"I'm not dating anyone!" Marissa insisted. "And who the hell is Quinn?

"You don't know who Quinn Fabray is? I highly doubt that. Scandal is like her middle name. Especially when Puck is involved." Santana continued.

"Okay well I transferred during spring semester and I know basically one person in this school until today. Sorry if I'm not all into who's dating and who isn't and who has. In all honesty I don't really care either." Marissa confessed.

"Well that's good because the gleeks can't seem to stop trading dates like they're pokemon cards." Sue chirmed in. "That's enough for today, tomorrow we'll start in on how to properly use the instruments. Now get out of here."

"This semester is officially going to suck now." Santana lamented.

"I wonder if it's too late to switch classes?" Sam pondered aloud partly to himself.

"So from what I gather, Sue equals the antichrist." Marissa deducts.

"No, actually I'm pretty sure even the antichrist would say FML if they met Sue." Artie concludes.

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><p><em>Dear mother,<em>  
><em>Can you hear me laughing<em>  
><em>It's been six whole months<em>  
><em>Since that I have left your home<em>  
><em>It makes me wonder why I'm still here<em>  
><em>For some strange reason it's now<em>  
><em>Feeling like my home<em>

_Lyrics: Welcome to Paradise by Green Day_

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><p><strong>AN: If you actually got to this point I applaud you and would love to know what you thought! This first chapter is a lot of background and might be a bit slow but I promise there will be more story progression in the following chapters to come. Let me know what you guys think, should I continue? Good or bad, let me know. Also I have some general ideas on where I want the story to go but we will see. This chapter seemed a lot longer than I originally planned, but it was a lot of background details. If you enjoyed it, reviews will definitely motivate me to update faster :) Also make sure to subscribe for the latest updates<strong>


	2. Dance

_Know you've been hurt by someone else_  
><em>I can tell by the way you carry yourself<em>

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 2: Just Dance<em>**

Just as Marissa had chosen her new locker in the girl's locker room and was about to start changing into those lovely Mckinley High issued sweats, she was nearly tackled from behind.

"Lani!" Marissa exclaimed happily and wide eyed at seeing her friend. The island tanned beauty with hazelnut brown eyes gleamed with just as much excitement. The two girls had not been able to catch up in person since she left for her summer vacation in Hawaii.

"Hey locker buddy!" She smiled.

"I thought you were stuck in the 1st period class?"  
>"My mom pulled a few string with Figgins by way of a donation and got it switched so we could at least have the one class together."<p>

"Remind me to thank her later! I love your highlights by the way." Marissa said examining the girls chestnut brown waves now filled with a beach blonde array of highlights.

"My aunt does them. Oh and I have your souvenirs at my house so you can come by later and grab them." Lani insisted.

After the girls had dressed down into their P.E. attire they headed to the gym to meet up with their teacher Ms. Baker. They sat in the bleachers while taking attendance. This fact also supplied the girls with a great view of the football team's conditioning class doing their warm ups. It didn't take long at all for Marissa to spot Puck among the other guys. Lani nudged her hard in the ribs, earning a dirty look from Marissa before she had caught onto why.

"Marissa Novak?"The teacher had practically yelled as if she had been repeating herself a couple of times before Marissa had actually tuned in.

"Here!" she finally raised her hand, saying the word louder than necessary. "Sorry." she followed in a much softer voice.

"He's pretty good looking; I'm not going to lie." Lani giggled at her.

"Who?" Marissa wondered with a furrowed brow.

"The rockstar you've been gawking at down there." She laughed. "And now he's staring at you."

Marissa jerked her head to look and sure enough Puck was looking up at them. He gave her a head nod, which in turn made her face flush a bit. She met his gesture with a mouthed 'hi' and awkward wave. Seeing the nervousness behind her actions just made him grin more until Coach Biest caught on and shouted "Puckerman, stop talking to the ladies!"

And now the entire dance class was looking around at each other to find out which ladies she had been referring to. 'Well that was awkward' she thought to herself.

"Come to think of it, Bieber is pretty fine down there too." Lani smiled as if she just discovered a secret only she had caught onto.

"You would think that. Always with the blonde hair!" Marissa shook her head knowing all too well her friends list of past infatuations. "His name is Sam and he's in my dissection group for anatomy class. The rock star, Noah, Puck…whatever is in my photo class so I recognized him, that's all."

"And they are both in the glee club, currently single, and our close friends." The two girls heard from behind them. As they turned around they were met with three stares. Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt made quick introductions.

"We didn't mean to be offensive or anything." Lani managed to squeak out.

"What do you mean? You were just demonstrating good taste." Kurt declared.

"You're not going to say anything, are you?" Marissa questioned uneasily

"We can if you want." Mercedes assured

"I don't want things to get awkward in my class with him." Marissa replied nervously. _'That's all I need'_.

"Today we are going to teach you stretching techniques. After today you will immediately begin stretching in groups on your own before we go onto the daily lesson. Throughout the class you will learn ballet, jazz, modern, and other dance types. After each type is covered you will have to produce your own 1 minute dance routine within your groups and perform in front of the class. At the end, your final will be a 3 minute combination routine. After stretching and today's lesson you will get into groups of 4 or 5 and exchange information. We will begin with ballet." Ms. Baker droned on.

Marissa inwardly hoped that everyday did not have the football players handing around the gym while they did their routines. It was a bit awkward seeing the guys intently watch the girls. It was pretty obvious they were discussing them and checking out their bodies while doing the exercises. Although it was amusing to watch them do a bar test. Each guy had to see how many pull ups they could do on a bar and slowly improve as the semester went on. Another lovely consequence of budget cuts. The room they were supposed to be using for dance was being used by the wrestling team.  
>By the time stretching ended there was only enough time to introduce the concept of sashay. Kurt and Tina had no problem with this but when it came to Mercedes, the difficulties had been obvious. By this time Lani, Kurt, and Tina were chatting on the side lines and exchanging information because it had been decided they would all group together for semester as a dance group.<br>"Alright its official, ballet is not my thing." Mercedes sighed in frustration.  
>"Just try to break it down to baby steps first, and then meld it all together." Marissa encouraged and demonstrated what she meant.<p>

"And you're actually doing a lot better than I did when I first learned this. Lani took dance last semester so during the summer she basically taught me what to expect."  
>"I got it!" Mercedes exclaimed in accomplishment, which earned some chuckling from her friends.<br>After dance class, lunch rolled around and instead of the usual where the duo would camp out under a tree outside, biding time till the next set of classes, Marissa and Lani were actually contemplating the thought of joining the rest of the student body in the cafeteria. The glee clubbers had extended an invitation to sit amongst them and it only had taken a day for Marissa to decide to leap to social suicide and accept. A part of her did miss the loud melody of a group interaction she used to know so well. The quiet intimacy of seclusion was nice but like she had decided earlier, this year would be different. As if Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt had conspired masterfully their infiltration into the group, Marissa found herself seated next to Puck.

Maybe it was coincidence, but Lani had also been conveniently situated across the table from her and directly beside Sam.

Throughout lunch the two newbies had been mostly accepted and introduced to the remaining previously unknown members with ease. The fact that Kurt's boyfriend Blaine had transferred not too long ago helped ease Marissa's nerves and she felt instantly closer to him.

The most awkward part had to have been when a girl with equally awkward looking hair passed by the table swiftly with a remark of disdain.  
>"Replacing me already gleeks?" Quinn Fabray scowled on her way to join a group of self proclaimed "skanks" awaited her at the exit of the building.<br>Marissa had not said much and ad quietly been observing the group while finishing her food.  
>She couldn't help but notice Puck's face. His smirk that he had been wearing moments ago had been replaced with a grimace of sorts in the presence of Quinn. She made a note mentally to ask Tina or Mercedes about it later.<p>

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><p><em>If you let me, here's what I'll do<em>  
><em>I'll take care of you<em>  
><em>I've loved and I've lost<em>

_Lyrics: take care by drake_

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><p>AN: Thanks to my readers, especially those who leave reviews. A special thanks to becksgirl, whitney3tears, melrose5553, and msmechanic for taking the time to share your thoughts!<p>

I know this chapter is a bit shorter but I wanted to update while I had the time and im also working on a collaboration story at the moment. I have noticed how much reviews affect my motivation to update and keep a story going. The more reviews, the more and faster I write. Just a hint haha Also make sure to subscribe for the latest updates :D

Also sorry for the lack of Puck in this particular chapter, but he shall be more involved in the next chapter, I promise!


	3. Wake Me Up Inside

_How can you see into my eyes_  
><em>Like open doors?<em>  
><em>Leading you down into my core,<em>  
><em>Where I've become so numb. <em>

_Without a soul,_  
><em>My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,<em>  
><em>Until you find it there and lead it back <em>  
><em>Home.<em>

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 3: Wake Me Up Inside<strong>_

After lunch Marissa headed to her advanced placement English class, which she learned during lunch she shared with Rachel and Blaine. English was always a subject she could rely on for an easy A. Words were her thing, and that was something that no matter what happened in life, she still had found them flowing so easily through her. Taking the opportunity to further get to know the two, they had decided to instant message chat during class, something Rachel and Blaine were proficient at.

**Rachel**: Do you sing?

**Marissa**: Does in the shower count? If not then no, not anymore….I dance now.

**Blaine**: Does your friend?

**Marissa**: She wants to be a choreographer.

**Rachel**: We're going to need numbers if we want to make it to regionals.

**Blaine**: Have you heard of Glee Club?

**Marissa:** Not really…it's a club for singing right?

**Rachel**: We have tryouts soon….but no matter how bad, Mr. Shue never says no lol

**Marissa**: If you guys don't find anyone else, and I'm sure you will….ill think about it

**Blaine**: Ask your friend too!

**Marissa**: Will do!

With technological assistance, English flew by fast. Marissa would have to remember this factoid for next class. Her final class of the day was something she had not been looking forward to. The concept was ridiculous to her, based on her current state of life, but since it was required there wasn't a choice in the matter. Apparently Mckinley had some concerned parents after a number of teenage pregnancies, so the school was now making it a requirement to complete a lifelong skills course, starting this year. Which basically set out to accomplish the goal of making student's realize real life would suck after high school. There would be discussions on pregnancy, budgeting, career goals, and all that fun stuff no one really wants to think about during high school, but now were going to be graded on. Rachel was actually excited about the class, most specifically because she got to take it with her boyfriend Finn. When the two girls walked into the class they found Finn and Puck sitting in the very back of the room along with Tina and Mike. Finn had saved Rachel a seat, knowing she would soon be joining him. Puck on the other hand was staring at Marissa with a look of surprise that was soon replaced with a smile.

"Here sit between me and Tina. "he said moving over to make room for Marissa to sit. Both Tina and Rachel exchanged knowing glances at his actions.

"Thanks." She smiled sheepishly after noticing all eyes were on her again.

"Marissa said she would try-out for glee. Isn't that wonderful guys?" Rachel piped up.

"I do believe it was more of a last resort possibility." Marissa responded with wide eyes at the girl. "I dance, singing isn't a thing anymore."

"Anymore?" Puck said with a new found interest.

"Hey it's cool, I just dance and I'm in glee." Mike spoke up earning a look from the new girl. "I find it's better not to make everyone who can sing deaf by having to listen to me strangle cats." He continued.

This made everyone chuckle and Marissa feel slightly better about being put on the spot. Before anything more could be said, the teacher arrived and began class. Apparently this school had a new motto they wanted to enforce because this would be another class where group work would be crucial. Everyone needed a partner to complete the various projects so Marissa cut to the chase this time around.

"Do you wanna be my partner again?" she asked turning towards him. He grinned back.

"Yea we're gonna be badass together." He assured her.

For the rest of the class she tried to be inconspicuous as she stole a couple of glances at him. Although every time she did, she quickly would meet his eyes, and immediately look away. She felt like it had turned into a game by the end of class on who could make the other more uncomfortable, yet in a good way if that was possible. The more time she spent in close proximity to him, the more she felt on edge. It wasn't just his looks that got her feeling flustered, but the aura of self confidence combined with boyish charm that made her excited to talk to him.

Yet she would not be admitting these feelings truly any time soon, not even to herself. That's just too complicated, for an already complex portrait of her life.

"Marissa?" Puck asked putting his hand on her arm, in an attempt to get her attention she imagined once she noticed what was going on around her.

"Class is over." He said motioning to the almost empty classroom.

"Oh, wow." She said still in a bit of a haze. Quickly standing and gathering her things, she noticed him giving her a peculiar look. "Yea…I tune out sometimes, especially on first days." She tried to explain away the slight embarrassment.

"Don't sweat it babe. I'm not the most studious around. The real thing I'm wondering is what we were doing in your daydream." He smirked.

She laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows with all types of suggestion behind the action.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She winked at him, surprising herself just as much as the expression on his face showed.

"A girl with confidence is never a bad thing." he said guiding her out to the hall.

"Agreed." She started walking toward the exit to the parking lot to go home.

"Did you wanna go to the glee club meeting with me?"

"Right now? I can't. I already made plans with Lani for today. Sorry." She apologized.

"How about tomorrow? Everyone is really chill and we perform on stage. We could use more people who can dance."

"I'll let you know."

"Can I walk you to your car?"

"Sure, if it's not going to make you late."

"It's cool. So which one is yours?" he asked as they stood before a sea of automobiles.

"It's just over here." She said leading him to her vehicle.

"Wait that's your car? I would never have thought." He said looking majorly impressed.

"It was my grandfather's" she said beaming with pride, putting her stuff in the back seat.

"Well, I'm impressed. He must have been a great dude."

"He was. We were really close."

"Hey before I forget, can I get your number." he asked trying to act as suave as possible about it.

She gave him a look that said _really?_

"You know so we can work on projects and stuff easier." He explained.

"Yea, of course. Why else?" She grinned.

"Here give me your phone. I'll put my number in and you can call my phone to make it easier."

"Alright, but if you plan on dialing my number for some late night booty call, I probably won't answer." She joked.

"Probably won't?" he asked with a sly smile.

"My future boyfriend?" she read looking at the screen on her phone to call his phone.

"You can call me that if you want." He chuckled as he started to walk back in the direction of the school. He picked up his cell's incoming call from her. "See you tomorrow beautiful." he said into the phone before hanging up.

Marissa stared after him for a minute. They were very much flirting just now. Her heart felt like it was about to leap from her chest. She felt exhilarated just thinking back to the previous moments before. She honestly couldn't remember when she felt this much about anything in such a long while. It was like seeing an old friend after forgetting about the promise to keep in touch. Marissa looked down at her vibrating cell phone as she got into the driver's side of the car.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom wants to know if you're staying over tonight?" Lani's voice sounded through the cell.

"If she doesn't mind."

"Of course not, she just wants to make sure there's enough dinner on the table."

"Tell her thanks! I'm gonna head over to my house right now and grab some stuff."

"Ok well call me if anything happens .Actually call me anyways, when you are on the road to my house."

"Deal. I shouldn't be long." She agreed ending the call.

* * *

><p><em>Wake me up inside.<em>  
><em>Save me<em>  
><em>Call my name and save me from the dark.<em>  
><em>Wake me up<em>  
><em>Bid my blood to run.<em>  
><em>Before I come undone.<em>  
><em>Save me from the nothing I've become<em>.

_Lyrics: Wake me up inside by Evanescence_

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><p><strong>AN: So what did you all think of Puck in this chapter? Also what do you think the hold up could be? Review if you think I should continue this story. I'll try to update again soon but I'm taking 6 college classes and I'm also working on my other story with msmechanic called "what can I say?" If you're into wrestling you can find the details on my profile. Thanks for taking the time out to read and review! I feed off of reviews and try to improve with every suggestion. Also make sure to subscribe for the latest updates! :D**


	4. Daddy Daddy

**AN: If you are continuing from this chapter you might want to know that I have picked the actress I am basing Marissa on and it's Shelley Hennig (aka Diana from Secret Circle). I have not decided who Lani should be modeled after, so if anyone has any good ideas, feel free to let me know via review. Also Marissa's father is also someone I have not decided on so if you would like to contribute in the choosing, give me some options I can run with. For pictures you can go to my livejournal, username tragicfriday or go to my profile and copy & paste the link. Also be aware that this chapter will contain some strong language. **

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><p><em>Daddy daddy<em>  
><em>Why you break your promises to me?<em>  
><em>Daddy Daddy<em>  
><em>Don't you know you hurt me constantly<em>  
><em>And there's something that I think that you should know <em>  
><em>I'm not the little girl you left waiting at home <em>  
><em>All the hurt and pain you left with mom and me <em>  
><em>Why can't I be angry<em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 4: Daddy Daddy<br>_

Marissa pulled her car into the small tarred driveway and slowly proceeded to the side door of the humble one bedroom one bathroom home on the wrong side of town. This is where the social outcasts and failures of Lima ended up. The worn, once white siding was neither welcoming, nor inhospitable, it simply was there. Marissa crept as stealthy as a cat, up the half rotten wood steps to the side door, keys in hand. If luck was on her side, she would be able to get up the attic steps through the pantry without running into her father.

As soon as she quietly opened the door, she knew immediately luck was in favor of someone else that day. Bending over to scour the fridge's contents, was the figure some would ignorantly call her father. His worn denim pants and off white t-shirt told her the level of his personal productivity had been at an all time low today. Although if that wasn't enough surely the pungent smell of stale beer and the glare she was offered as a welcome definitely confirmed it.

"Where have you been?" he asked blocking her swift exit to the door just past the fridge.

"First day back to school. It's a Monday." She quickly added.

"I know what day it is!" he growled leaning against the counter top, beer in hand.

"Ok, well I'm gonna go to my room."she replied, trying to get the hint for him to allow her to pass by. He just stared at her.

"Do you have somewhere to be, that you're in such a rush?"

"Actually I have to meet someone to study. I probably won't be back tonight."

"Is it that little savage again?"

"No, I don't have any friends who are savages." She replied with a look of hatred.

"Sure you don't. Have you been taking my beer? This is the last one and I know I just bought a 24 pack yesterday."

"I didn't take anything from the fridge." She replied

"Don't lie to me!" he got closer to her.

"If I were gonna drink a beer, it would taste a hell of a lot better than that crap you buy and call beer." She said with frustration.

"Watch your mouth, you little bitch. I'm not an idiot! I know that you're a lying whore and now you steal from me too!" that's when he started to slur his words.

"Yea that's it. I bring guys here all the time, because I myself spend so much time here. There's not an honest bone in my body. You are so right DAD. Don't worry I'll go down and STEAL you some more beer!" she said angrily, giving her just enough time to throw off his guard and get past him and to the stairs of sanctuary. He wouldn't dare to go up there, his knees were compromised and the serious lack of coordination would have him giving up by the second step.

She got to the top of the stairs and slammed the door to her room behind her. Well if you could really call it a room. Sure it had 4 walls and a roof above, but the walls had no inner dry wall and no insulation. The floor was as basic as you could get. At one point in time this attic space had been under construction to be a renovated living space. Unfortunately her father claimed to child services he would be fixing the space up so she would have a place to call her own, yet it was still a bare bones attempt at a bedroom.

The only reason he was even agreeing to have her live there was the social security check. He considered it a rental fee. The only reason she even had any money was because of a trust fund, that to his dismay, he had no access to. She quickly grabbed her overnight essentials and enough clothes to last her awhile. If only she could leap out the small window to avoid seeing him again. She sucked it up finally and made her way down the stairs. Before going any further into the kitchen she looked to see where he was. She found him sitting in the living room, in front of the television. There was no way he could get in her way before she got out the door so she just short of sprinted out of there. She got to her car and sped off as soon as she was in the position to do so. Taking all consideration of how that could have gone, it could have been a lot worse. When she got to the first light on her route, she texted Lani as promised.

Lani lived on the exact opposite side of town. In the case of Lima, there really was a wrong and a right side while everyone else lived in between. When they said her family was rich, they really weren't joking. Her family really did have a mansion they lived in, complete with an inside pool and a long driveway leading up from the security gate. Yes a security gate, complete with a required access code, which of course by now Marissa knew by heart.

At first Lani's family had found it peculiar that Marissa would stay over their house for such long periods of time and that Lani never went over to Marissa's house. Although the day Marissa showed up with bruises, that she had unsuccessfully been able to cover up, Lani's mother had made sure an open invitation was given to the girl. Lani's mother had also threatened Marissa's father with appropriate action if she ever saw the girl harmed in any way again. The problem with this town was of course that it protected its own. If you lived here long enough, you got to know everyone fairly well. So an outsider such as Lani's mother, just didn't have the same weight as a native when it came to such matters dealing with the authorities.

When Marissa had entered the home, Lani's mother had rightfully welcomed her back with a look of relief, most likely because Marissa seemed unscathed.

"It is so good to see you Marissa! Lani is in her room, if you want to go on up and put your stuff away." She said getting done with one of her common nurturing hugs.

That's right, Marissa had been there so often, that she even had a side of the closet in Lani's suite.

"You made it!" Lani turned around from her seat in front of her desk top.

"By no small feat, that's for sure. Apparently now I'm stealing his alcohol because he doesn't remember drinking a 24 pack in a 24 hour period."

"He's a piece of work. I'm so sorry I left you with that moron. Forgive me?"

"It's no big. Like I told you over the phone, I simply avoided him as much as possible. Which by the way, I want to see your millions of pictures and my gifts as compensation." Marissa responded flopping down onto the queen sized bed.

Lani scurried to her dresser and started pulling out a treasure box full of things for Marissa. Most notably was a choker with a shell weaved into the center which she promptly put on along with the matching bracelet.

"I am now ready to look like a surfer chick." Marissa beamed. "Oooh and chocolate covered macadamia nuts! You know me so well."

For the next couple of hours the girls caught up and Lani shared her stories and photos on the trip. They took a break for dinner and then went back upstairs to work on their newest dance routine which would be classic ballet. Almost forgetting, Marissa took out time to complete that annoying assignment for Photo while Lani put the finishing touches to the routine.

By 11:30 Marissa figured it was time to get to bed and she went to plug her phone into its charger waiting next to the night stand. She couldn't help but notice the missed text message waiting for her.

**My-future-bf (11:15pm): **Are you still awake?

Marissa smiled down at her phone. She forgot to fix that earlier, but honestly she thought it was adorable. Maybe she would just leave that alone till things changed. _And I can drop the future._

**Me (11:31pm):** Yea…getting ready for bed now….are you still awake?

As if instantly she got a reply.

**My-future-bf (11:31pm): **Hi :)

**Me (11:32pm): **…hi… lol

**My-future-bf (11:32pm): **I was just wondering… what kind of coffee would you like?

_He actually remembered. _Yes she was genuinely surprised.

**Me (11:33pm): **Surprise me :) …honestly if it has caffeine…you can't go wrong

**My-future-bf (11:33pm):** Gotcha

**Me (11:34pm): **I'm gonna go to sleep before I don't make it to class to get my coffee. Goodnight zzzzz

**My-future-bf (11:35pm): **I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams

"Who you texting?" Lani yawned.

"Nobody." Marissa turned over and put her head down on the pillow

"So you gave him your number huh?"

"Shut up."

* * *

><p><em>And I want you to know that I didn't need you anyway<em>  
><em>And this rope that we walk on is swaying<em>  
><em>And the ties that bind us they will never ever fray<em>  
><em>But I want for you to know<em>  
><em>You are<em>  
><em>Unforgiven<em>

Lyrics: Unforgiven by Fefe Dobson

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><p><strong>AN: Alright you know the drill, reviews make me a happy and fast updating writer, the lack of, will cause me to go all Mercedes on you. Tell me what you think! It helps my writing a lot! I promise :D Also if you have any ideas for Marissa's dad or Lani, cause I am drawing a huge blank. I will be slowly adding fan extras onto my livejournal for all you visual folks. Also make sure you subscribe the story so you can get the latest updates and be in the know. <strong>


	5. I Wanna Let It Go

**AN: Sorry life is starting to get hectic this semester as I knew it would. I also have started writing a story for the vampire diaries which I posted the first chapter of the other day so if you're into that, you might wanna check it out. I did however choose character models for this story and they are posted on the livejournal account I have through the profile. I've also posted photos of both the girls' cars and some clothes and such. **

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><p><em>Lithium, don't wanna lock me up inside<br>Lithium, don't wanna forget how it feels without  
>Lithium, I wanna stay in love with my sorrow<br>Oh, but God I wanna let it go_

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: I Wanna Let It Go<p>

Lani was further convinced of Marissa's crush on Noah Puckerman when she insisted on taking an extra thirty minutes than her usual hour to get ready. Mostly it was due to the indecisiveness on what to wear and her newly found insistence on applying more makeup than just eyeliner and mascara. Just some gloss and a neutral array of eye shadow, but still it was more than her usual. She wanted to be noticed for once and it was apparent to Lani by whom.

"There's no shame in just enhancing what's already there." She insisted finishing up her mascara. Lani just giggled at her.

"You're gonna be late to see your man if we don't leave soon." Lani urged making Marissa scoff slightly. Lani already took 2 hours to get ready normally because of the battle with her hair in the morning. She was very entertained by Marissa's attempt at trying to play it all off as if her best friend wouldn't notice. It also made it all even sweeter since Marissa was usually the one on her about being ready on time yet here she was still primping.

"Alright, I'm done. How do I look?" Marissa asked doing a slight twirl. She had decided on a pair of denim shorts, white flowing top, and a pink mid sleeved cover up. She finished the casual chic outfit with a pair of ballet flats. (Picture available on my livejournal if you're interested in a visual).

"He'll be staring at you just like he already does."Lani insisted pushing her out the door.

The girls decided to carpool to save money on gasoline since Lani's family estate was a bit out of the way from the High School. Plus there was that added benefit of chatting to and from, making the ride more entertaining. The fact that Lani's white BMW being the envy of everyone in the parking lot was something Marissa had already gotten used to.

Today they decided to search the radio for music that might go along with their ideas for the ballet routine in dance class. As if the radio knew just what they were looking for the song fly with Rihanna and Nicki Minaj started to vibrate from the speakers.

"I think this will work for us. Now we at least have something to work with when we show the others what we already put together." Lani said excited at the prospect.

"Agreed. It gives enough life to the boring ballet steps you know we have to incorporate."

"Ballet isn't boring, you just don't appreciate it." Lani scoffed. Lani enjoyed all types of dance while Marissa was pickier but it was probably because she hadn't been dancing since she was a toddler like Lani had. Marissa liked whatever she seemed to be better at while Lani constantly thrived for a challenge.

"I'll see you in third period." Lani said getting out of the vehicle and going in the opposite direction toward the math building.

* * *

><p>Marissa scurried to class, trying to make it there before the first bell. As soon as she entered the classroom she felt herself experience a deep feeling of disappointment when she noticed Puck's chair empty. She slowly made her way to her desk and settled in. She was almost tempted enough to text him, but before she could give in, the mohawked boy wandered in, two coffee cups in hand, barely catching the bell.<p>

Marissa felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of him. Yes this was definitely her nerves getting the best of her. It could be the fact that she was severely out of practice with social interactions or that she really did have a massive crush on the flirtatious jock.

"Happy to see me." He smirked. "I saw that look of relief as soon as you saw me."

"Well…yea. You come bearing coffee." She laughed it off. But inwardly was scolding herself for obviously gawking.

"Hopefully you'll like it. I just went with what I know tastes good to me." He said handing over the coffee or happiness in a cup as Marissa preferred to describe the hot liquid.

Marissa excitedly took the cup in her hands and slowly tasted it, with a cautious demeanor that made Puck laugh.

"Do I pass?" he asked seeing her make a satisfied facial expression.

"Can't go wrong with caramel. Thanks Noah."

After passing in their homework assignments, it was onto bigger and better things. They would jump right into the first assignment which would be essentially an introduction of themselves. Each student would take photographs that depicted the letters of their name but it could not simply be a bunch of photos of already established letters. They would have to be creative and today they would be allowed to roam the school for ideas. To make it somewhat fair if you had a short name, like Noah for instance you would have to at least include the first initials of your last name to make the assignment at least five letters.

Times like these made Marissa loathe her name. It was going to make this assignment more work and repetitive. Kinda like when she had to bubble in her name on a scantron for those annoying state exams. Although this would be a perfect opportunity for some alone time with Noah, which made her a bit eager even if she knew she probably shouldn't get her hopes up.

"So did you guys do this assignment before?" Marissa asked as they left the classroom.

"Nope, I think she likes to change the assignments up by semester." He said taking a sip of his coffee.

"So do you think this semester will be easier?"

"Well the reason I took photo in the first place was because I thought it would be an easy A. I mean taking pictures should be easy right? So I sorta just skipped out when we got to go look for ideas and didn't really put in the time or effort."

"I see…" she said getting a bit apprehensive. Maybe being his partner was a mistake if she ever wanted to graduate.

"But now that I have a good reason to stick around and a pretty one at that, I think this semester will be a lot more interesting." He smirked

"Interesting being the key word there." She replied trying not to show how nervous he made her when he said things like that. "So we're supposed to incorporate details about ourselves with each letter. But we don't really know that much about each other yet."

"What do you wanna know?" Puck asked smiling again.

"All your deepest darkest secrets." She said with a laugh. "But I guess we can start with what you do for fun."

"Well, I guess there's football, playing my guitar, singing in glee….drinking." he chuckled. "What about you?"

"Dancing is a big thing for me, as you already know. I also like to write sometimes and I'm actually pretty good at photography so this shouldn't be too bad. I'm not the worst cook in the world either, I guess."

"Hopefully I'll get to try some of that cooking one day."

"Maybe."

"So how come we've never spoken to each other until yesterday? This school isn't that big."

"I had one of those awkward middle of the year moves in the Spring, and I don't make it a habit to stand out."

"Oh you stand out, even if you aren't trying to. I guess there was just a lot of stuff going on last year. Why did you move to Lima?"

That was the question she dreaded being faced with the most. It always made an awkward pause in a conversation because she hated the answer. The answer was something that would change the entire mood of the conversation from light hearted to uncomfortable in a matter of moments.

"I lived in California with my mom before she died. So I was sent here to live with my dad because he's the only relative I have, if you could call him that."

" Yea I live with my mom too. My dad up and left when I was a kid, right after my sister was born." Puck empathized.

He empathized with her, not sympathized, which at that moment made all the difference to her. He wasn't offering her some awkward half assed attempt at an apology that made absolutely no sense. He didn't dwell on the fact and make her feel pitied. He knew where she was coming from and knew better than to stand there with that look everyone else got when they found out her mom was dead.

"Are you and your mom close?"

"Yea, for the most part. Sometimes more than others but we get along pretty good generally." He nodded.

"My mom and I were more like friends than mother and daughter. My dad has no idea how to be a father and he's a drunk so I'm practically never home." she said leading him into the gym.

"Another thing we have in common. My dad and his liquor were inseparable."

"Hopefully we can find something better that we both have in common." She sighed

"I'm sure we will. Are you going to come to glee today with me?" a hint of hope in his voice.

"Maybe by the end of the day you can persuade me."

"If by persuade, you mean make out till then, I'm up for the challenge." He said raising both of his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Wow! Does that actually work with other girls?"

"Sometimes, but I'm starting to realize you aren't like other girls."

"Considering the context, I'll take that as a compliment." She grinned.

Before Puck could say anymore, she had begun peeking into a room, and then proceeded to pull him along inside the interior. What he found, inside was a wall covered in mirrors and a horizontal bar. He quickly put two and two together, realizing it was the dance room.

"I've got an idea for a photo." She explained quickly, seeing his confused face.

She walked over to the mirror, and at first he thought she was checking herself out. Instead she was attempting to make a pose with her legs that would create the letter M with the reflection's assistance. One leg was pressed as close to the mirror as possible standing straight while her other leg was raised behind her as if she was in the middle of a dance step.

"Can you photograph just below my hips? Make sure you get my legs and the reflection or it won't work." She instructed.

Seeing her dedication at staying seriously still made him resist the urge to make another perverted joke when she mentioned hips and legs. He adjusted the lens to zoom in as she had instructed him to and proceeded to snap a couple of photographs at different angles for her later choosing.

"Did you get it?" she asked feeling like her leg would buckle any second now.

"Yea you can relax."

She let out a sigh of relief dropping her leg down.

"Where did you get that idea?" he asked impressed.

"My mind gets distracted really easily, which coincidently feeds my creativity." She laughed. "And I just thought of something that would work for you too."

"Oh really?"

"Yep but we're out of time right now." She said looking at her watch.

The realization of what time it was made Puck groan in frustration.

"Fine but we're continuing this round of 20 questions via text messages." He insisted.

"Deal." She agreed with a smile.

"Come on, I'll walk you to class."

* * *

><p><em>Don't wanna let it lay me down this time<br>Drown my will to fly  
>Here in the darkness I know myself<br>Can't break free until I let it go_

_I'm gonna let it go_

_Lyrics: Lithium by Amy Lee_

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><p><strong>AN: Alright I hope it was worth the wait and I didn't disappoint. I also would love to hear anyone's ideas for the photo project because I think I might have just bitten off more than I can chew ha. When I did it back in high school it seemed a lot easier. Also what juicy questions can I include via text. What would you guys like to know? Come on don't be shy! I would love to hear some feedback and it might just make the next chapter update faster. And as always read &amp; review so I know what you think about it so far in general.<br>**

**Special thanks DelenaxFantasy, Dalonega Noquisi, & American Senpai for sharing your thoughts on the last chapter! Also thanks to everyone who subscribed to this story and put the story on your faves. It really means the world :D  
><strong>


	6. Welcome to New Directions

**AN: So I usually update my stories in a cycle of sorts but I just was really in the mood to continue with this one before moving onto a completely different genre, so I guess my readers lucked out. I tried to incorporate some details from the show as well as add my original ideas involving the new characters. Hope you all enjoy. **

* * *

><p><em>It's been said and done<br>Every beautiful thought's been already sung  
>And I guess right now here's another one<br>So your melody will play on and on, with best of 'em_

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Welcome to New Directions<p>

Anatomy class was pretty much a blur for Marissa. She tuned out right around the time Sue decided to linger with the student who happened to have a lisp that apparently bothered her greatly. As promised Puck texted her throughout class making the class period go by faster for her at least. Looking around she could tell the others at her table were equally dismayed by Sue. Although she was thankful that Sue was distracted enough and seemed to be oblivious to her texting every other second.

So far they had discussed musical preferences and playfully argued over movies and television shows. Soon enough it was time for third period and Marissa was excited to start working on the new dance.

"Can I walk you to dance class?" Puck asked coming up behind Marissa as she left anatomy.

"Hi." she smiled, surprise evident on her features. "Scared I'll run away?"

"I just figured we needed to discuss face to face why you need to watch Sons of Anarchy and give it a chance." He said with a straight face making reference to their previous text spats and walking beside her.

"Uh huh, sure Noah. I'll give it a chance if you can sit through an episode of the Vampire Diaries." She promised.

"Oh it's on." He said confidently.

"I will get you hooked muahaha." She attempted an evil laugh.

"I just don't get why girls are so obsessed with those sparkling vampires."

"You're thinking of twilight." She laughed. "And it's not THAT bad."

"If you say so."

"I'll see you at lunch." Marissa said parting from Puck and entering the girl's locker room.

* * *

><p>Dance class progressed on schedule with warm ups and the lesson of the day. Since Lani already knew what to expect, she had already incorporated the dance steps into the routine she devised earlier. They made great use of the time they were given to start practicing their routines. The others were amazed that Lani had come up with that many steps in such a short amount of time. Dancing was like breathing for her. It came natural and as soon as the music started, her body listened and translated the words to body language.<p>

Marissa found herself lost in the music much of the time and dancing transformed her thoughts into something more organized and comprehensive. Expressing her emotions used to be fairly easy but now it seemed like dancing was the only tool she had.

"You know what we should do? Slumber party this weekend. We could do a movie marathon of all kinds of dance movies and look for some awesome moves!" Tina chirped up by the end of the class.

"My house has a ton of space if you all wanna come over Friday night?" Lani offered.

The group agreed equally excited by the prospect and went back to the locker room to change into their street clothes.

They all made their way to the cafeteria, spaghetti being the gruesome looking meal of the day.

Marissa situated herself between Puck and Tina moving the food around her plate while listening to the group's chatter.

"How was class?" Puck nudged her side making her grin.

"It was amazing!" Tina interrupted.

"Our dance number is going to be phenomenal. Even if it is ballet." Mercedes chimed in.

"Speaking of performances..." Rachel began. "There's a purple piano in here and you know what that means."

Marissa and Lani looked around the group as they listened to most of them groan, making them even more confused than they were before. They watched as their new friends got up from their seats.

"What's going on?" Marissa asked giving Puck a quizzical stare.

"You'll see." He promised.

That's when they began their performance of We Got The Beat in front of the entire cafeteria. Who could resist that sort of upbeat rhythm? Marissa noticed her head bobbing along to the beat. The two girls were stunned to say the least but couldn't resist the group of gleeks by the middle of the song. Marissa especially was persuaded when Puck started doing push ups in front of her on the lunch table they had just been sitting at. Before Marissa was fully aware of her actions, she found herself being pulled up by the hands onto the table top and joining alongside Puck with a full set of goofy dance moves. Marissa looked over and saw Lani bouncing around with Tina and Brittany.

Well she had promised herself this year would be different. This definitely fell in line with that resolution. Before she could think anymore, Puck was grabbing her and they were running for their lives.

"Food fight!" someone was yelling.

They didn't stop running till they were past the main hallway and in the safety of the stairwell.

"That was exhilarating!" Marissa laughed, trying to catch her breath.

"You have a little." Puck paused and picked a strand of spaghetti out of her hair, making her laugh even more.

"Do you guys just burst out in song randomly a lot?"

"Kinda, yea. You looked like you were having so much fun before ya know, the food shower."

"Oh I was!" she assured him.

"Will you come to Glee with me then?"he said giving her a slight pout.

"Yes, I will." She said as if it was a life changing decision.

"Crap."

"What?" she asked with worry.

"Class."

"Oh….yea. I'll see you in 5th. "

* * *

><p>Needless to say Marissa was a bit late for English but so was half the class due to the food fight incident. Rachel and Blaine both looked a hot mess so Marissa had lucked out, most likely due to Puck's fast reflexes.<p>

"Wasn't that fun?" Rachel whispered.

"Yea but next time lets omit the food." Marissa replied making Blaine chuckle.

Marissa felt a buzz go off in her pocket causing her to slyly check the text.

**Lani-lan: **My sweater is ruined! Damn spaghetti sauce! Must go shopping ASAP.

**Me: **I was thinking of going to Glee today…

**Lani-lan:** Really? :D

**Me: **Yep, wanna go with?

**Lani-lan:** I'm game!

**Lani-lan: **Did Puck have anything to do with this recent development?

**Me:** Maybe…So!

**Me:** I'll meet you by my locker after 5th and we can go from there : )

* * *

><p>When the end of 5th period rolled around, Marissa stood to go but before she could take another step Puck's hand was on her lower back.<p>

"You're still gonna show right?"

"Yea, I'm just gonna meet up with Lani, and we'll go from there. In the choir room right?"

"I'll save you a seat. Just don't bail."

"I won't."

When the girls slowly approached the choir room, all they heard was an ear splitting voice, trying to sing a song from what they could tell. Both of the girls peeked inside the doorway and took in the scene before them. Everyone in the choir room looked at the girl trying to sing her heart out with dismay. The sad part of it all was how sure of herself the girl was when she was obviously not talented in that department. After Rachel basically shooed her away, she made a quick exit past the girls. When Rachel had finally stopped her rant, the girls decided this would be the best opportunity to crash the party.

"Knock, knock." Marissa poked her head in.

"You made it. Perfect time too, because that last chick was horrible." Puck said motioning for her to come sit next to him.

"I think we…and possibly the entire school noticed." Lani spoke up following Marissa.

"Mr Shue, this is Marissa and Lani and they're interested in joining Glee." Puck introduced them rather proudly.

"We're glad to have you." Mr shue welcomed them.

"Do they sing?" Santana piped up.

"Well we dance more than we sing."Lani explained.

"Yea, like we're good as backups but I don't intend on stealing the spotlight any time soon." Marissa offered nervously.

"Would you two mind singing something right now for us? You could make it a duet." Mr. Shue encouraged.

Puck saw Marissa's expression falter a bit at the idea of performing right now so he decided to step in a bit.

"They can't be worse than that girl who was just in here strangling a symphony of cats Mr. Shue." Puck vouched for them in his usual comical manner.

"We could just sing the song we had stuck in our heads the better part of the summer." Lani whispered to Marissa with a slight air of excitement in her voice.

Seeing her friend obviously wanting to proceed with the performance Marissa felt her inhibition slowly crumble.

"Alright, hook it up." Marissa responded and she swore that she saw Lani skip over to the stereo a bit. "I'll apologize before hand, so you can't say we didn't warn ya." Marissa announced facing the glee club.

Lani began the song and the first verse:

_It's been said and done  
>Every beautiful thought's been already sung<br>And I guess right now here's another one  
>So your melody will play on and on, with best of 'em<br>You are beautiful, like a dream come alive, incredible  
>A centerfold miracle, lyrical<br>You've saved my life again  
>And I want you to know baby<em>

Marissa joined her in the chorus:

_I, I love you like a love song, baby  
>I, I love you like a love song, baby<br>I, I love you like a love song, baby  
>And I keep hittin' re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat<em>

Marissa then continued solo for the second verse:

_Constantly, boy you played through my mind like a symphony  
>There's no way to describe what you do to me<br>You just do to me, what you do  
>And it feels like I've been rescued<br>I've been set free  
>I am hypnotized by your destiny<br>You are magical, lyrical, beautiful  
>You are...I want you to know baby<em>

They finished together with the last chorus and verse:

_No one compares  
>You stand alone, to every record I own<br>Music to my heart that's what you are  
>A song that goes on and on<em>

"That was great girls!" Mr. Shue enthusiastically commented which cued the rest of the room to clap at the performance.

"You totally undersold yourselves." Tina smiled after everyone else settled down.

"And you can dance too?" everyone could see the gears turning in Mr. Shue's head at the prospect. "I have been thinking of possibly incorporating a booty camp of sorts for some of our members that may have more trouble than some of the others in the dancing department. Mike Chang has offered to lead the program but it would be nice to have some further assistance and it would give us a chance to get on the same page."

"No problem sir." Lani agreed.

"See and you guys thought performing wouldn't attract students to the club." Mr. Shue went on.

Marissa made her way to sit in the seat Puck had waiting for her.

"That wasn't so bad." Marissa whispered.

"Told you. Relax you're fitting in great. You and Lani."

"It's nice to be accepted by someone." She agreed.

Blaine seemed to be having more issues fitting in as a new member, mostly because of the tension emanating between the two lead male vocalists. Marissa felt instantly attached to Blaine as a friend once they had met. He was just a very easy going individual who resonated goodwill to others. Marissa honestly couldn't see why Finn was giving him such a hard time so she blamed it on bad history of some sort.

The rest of the club meeting went by quickly, mostly it was a lot of Rachel Berry talking. The glee club would start working on a group performance of "You Can't Stop the Beat" which made Marissa excited because hairspray was a personal favorite. She turned to see Puck distracted and so she poked his side playfully.

"I'm starving." He explained. "That lunch performance basically killed my eating time. You wanna go to breadstix ?"

"Breadstix?" she replied with a confused look telling him she had no idea what that was and making him determined to show her.

"You're a breadstix virgin!" he said in a hushed yelp. This earned a look from Kurt and Blaine who were sitting closest to them.

"Come with me and I shall show you the way." Puck said making Marissa giggle.

"Well, my car is at Lani's because I stayed at her house last night. So I don't know if I can today."

"She can."Lani cut in earning a look from Marissa and a smile from Puck.

"You can come too Lani." He persuaded.

"And you can invite Sam too Puck so Lani has some company." Marissa chuckled at Lani's facial expressions that said everything she was thinking at the moment. It was something like don't be so loud, he might here you and think I'm a creeper.

"Will do." Puck agreed.

By this time the meeting was over, so Puck went over to catch up with Sam before he left.

Blaine and Kurt took this opportunity and came up to the girls.

"Blaine also has no idea the wonders of Breadstix. Would it be okay if we met you there?" Kurt asked.

"That would be awesome." Marissa agreed.

"We'll go ahead and get a table. See you in a few." Blaine suggested.

"We can take my car." Lani announced when Sam and Puck had returned.

"Sounds good." Sam obliged walking ahead of Puck and Marissa alongside Lani.

When they got into the parking lot and made it obvious that Lani was driving the white BMW Sam's eyes started to bug out a bit.

"This is your car?"

"Yea…." Lani replied, embarrassment apparent on her face.

"Shotgun!" Sam exclaimed practically running over to the passenger side like a giddy oversized child.

"Good, we can take the backseat." Puck said opening the door for Marissa to get in.

This would be an interesting ride, that was for sure.

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><p><em>There's no way to describe what you do to me<br>You just do to me, what you do  
>And it feels like I've been rescued<br>I've been set free_

_Lyrics: Love you like a love song- Selena Gomez_

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! As always, if you haven't already, subscribe to story alerts for the latest updates to stay in the loop on progression. Reviews are like candy, and I do enjoy candy. Let me know what you all think, especially if you are a subscriber and are keeping up with the story on a regular basis. I like to know what you would like to see happen and anything else you liked or disliked. <strong>

**Special thanks to ****Dalonega Noquisi for sharing your thoughts consistently. The input really lets me know what the readers want. **


	7. Autobiography

**AN: Sorry for taking so long to update. College is kicking my butt right now and I'm pretty sure I took way too many classes at once. It's hard for me to write when I can't fully invest in the character I am writing for so that would be why it's taking longer for lack of time. But here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy! **

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><p><em>You think you know me<br>Word on the street is that you do  
>You want my history<br>What others tell you won't be true_

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><p>Chapter 7: Autobiography<p>

On the way to Breadstix, Sam played with the radio while Lani drove, looking for something to satisfy his personal preference in music. Sam had programmed the GPS in Lani's car to guide them and ease the ride into unfamiliar territory.

Marissa was fully aware of the fact that she was in a very enclosed space, within an arm's length from her new crush, so she couldn't help but be a bit nervous. She tried to distract herself with the outside changes in scenery but that really didn't seem to work as soon as she realized he kept staring at her every now and then.

"What?" she raised her eyebrow in his direction.

"Hmh?" he asked curiously back.

"Nothing." she brushed it off with a smile making him grin too.

"Sure." he accentuated the word. "It's okay if you're checking me out."

"Says the one stealing glances my way." she scoffed making him shrug in response.

Their conversation was interrupted with Sam and Lani debating on whether country or dance music was better.

"I'll get you hooked on it. You'll see." Sam assured her.

"You can try but I highly doubt it." she laughed.

"I think Taylor Swift is going to be the closest you're going to get to compromise there." Marissa interjected.

"You can't really dance to country music." Lani insisted.

"Sure you can darlin." Sam said in a drawl, trying to imitate a southern accent.

"Other than do sa do and square dancing." Lani elaborated.

"Sam I think you need to teach Lani to do sa do." Marissa laughed earning a pair of wide eyes from Lani.

Before Lani could provide a comeback, another car in the left lane approached their car and tried to merge into their lane without checking beforehand. Lani was able to react fast enough and launch the car into the lane to the right of them before the other vehicle made impact into her BMW.

"What are you doing jackass? Can't you see my white car? It's not very hard to miss!" Lani shouted at the other car and started honking her horn with a heated insistence.

Sam chuckled seeing her reaction and was grateful for the comic relief in a tension filled situation. In the back seat, there was nothing but tension since the unexpected jolt. In normal Noah Puckerman fashion, he had not been wearing his seatbelt in his position behind the driver's seat. When the car shifted, so had he, and consequently it flung his torso toward Marissa on the other side of the vehicle.

During this process, Puck had naturally made a gesture with his hands to catch himself from falling over. Instead he had made contact with Marissa's chest unintentionally aggressive. Marissa could tell by his facial expression that he was just as shocked as she was concerning the incident. She had to rethink her initial reaction of wanting to hold the now tender area to avoid further embarrassment.

"Gah, Puckerman! If you wanted to grope me so bad, you could have just asked instead of harpooning me in the chest with your arms." she laughed deciding to use humor to smooth things over.

"I like to take things fast, what can I say?" he said deciding to put his seatbelt on now. Once he got situated back on the other side of the car again and regained composure he looked back at her. "Sorry for hitting you in the boobs." he smirked. "Next time I'll be more gentle." he finished in a hushed whisper.

"Next time huh?" Marissa looked over with a grin.

"Yes next time." he said smugly.

"Not to interrupt because I do enjoy hearing the two of you banter, but we're here finally." Lani announced.

"Alive and hungry." Sam said nearly jumping out of the car as if he was a kid just arriving at an amusement park.

"This place must be the equivalent of the adult Chuckie cheese to get that sort of reaction." Marissa giggled seeing Sam and Puck's giddy expressions.

Once in the building it was easy to find their table. Marissa couldn't help but smile when she saw Blaine and Kurt together. She found them utterly adorable. They quickly settled into their seats and had their drink orders taken soon after. Only after reading the menu did Marissa realize exactly how hungry she was.

"Pst...which one's better, the chicken Parmesan or the lasagna?" Marissa leaned over to Puck and whispered while nudging him in the side to get his attention.

"That's a tough one. They're both pretty good. Get both."

"Okay I'm hungry but I'm not that bad." she laughed.

"Order both and I'll share with you. You can have some of mine and I'll have some of yours and you get to try both."

"Do you mind?"

"Hell no cause then I get a little of both too. As long as its Breadstix you can do whatever you want." he grinned back.

"Hey lady and the tramp have you figured out your orders yet?" Lani asked motioning toward the waitress who was now standing there impatiently waiting. Puck quickly listed off their orders and avoided her annoyed gaze as much as possible.

"So what did we miss?" Marissa asked referring to the group conversation that Puck and her had obviously checked out of awhile ago.

"Lani and Blaine have the same art class." Kurt filled them in.

"Yep first period." Blaine confirmed with a smile.

"Lani is an incredible choreographer, we're already looking great for our dance routine." Kurt explained to Blaine. " Is there anything you want me to bring over Friday night?" He asked directing the question toward the girls.

"What's Friday night? Sam asked unable to contain his curiosity.

"We are having a slumber party." Marissa explained, excitement apparent in her tone.

"I'm so in." Puck announced.

"If he gets to go, can I go too?" Sam asked quickly.

"Uhm I don't think my mom is gonna be into the idea of a bunch of guys sleeping over."

"Kurt gets to go." Puck insisted.

Kurt gave him a look that basically posed the thought of I wonder why.

"Oh right." Puck decided he had a week argument for his case.

"It's going to be a bunch of girly romantic dance movies that I'm sure you would cringe if you had to watch. We are getting ideas for the routine." Marissa chuckled at his disappointed face.

"Very good point." Puck agreed.

"So back to the original question Kurt, you can just bring any movie that involves dance. We have Step Up already and Take the Lead."

"I've got Black Swan and Fame covered." Kurt declared. "I think Rachel is going to want to come too, is that alright."

"Yea why not?" Lani said without hesitation.

"Did you take dance classes before?" Sam asked Lani.

"I occasionally take them for fun but I'm mostly self taught. I hope to own my own dance studio one day. Maybe choreograph for the big names." she smiled at him. "I just love it."

Before anything else could be said the waitress brought their food and refills. Marissa had to admit the food looked as good as they had all promised and when she first tasted a bit it definitely surpassed expectations.

Marissa had begun eating the chicken Parmesan she ordered and was thoroughly enjoying it when she noticed Puck had already finished his half of the lasagna. He was now munching away on a bread stick watching her intently.

"Oh my god what did your face vacuum your food away." she laughed deciding to cut half of her plate's entree and plopping the portion she had begun eating onto his plate and then switching them all together so he could continue his rampage.

"I said I was starving." he said smirked and started to eat the food placed before him.

Marissa just shook her head and got back to eating her food and listening into the group conversation.

"Is that Santana and Brittany over there?" Sam asked aloud in between bites making the entire table of people start searching the other side of the restaurant.

"Maybe they're on a date." Puck chuckled

"It sort of looks like it doesn't it." Sam agreed.

There wasn't much said after that as everyone finished up their food. Marissa, Lani, and Blaine all were converted by the end of the group outing as fellow Breadstix fanatics.

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><p>Later that night at Lani's house the girls both laid on Lani's bed texting and relaxing after an eventful day.<p>

"So Mercedes just spilled the details on who Sam's ex is and all that. So let's see how much of an upgrade I am shall we?" Lani slid off the bed and made her way to her bookcase in search of the McKinley High School yearbook.

"Is that really a good idea?" Marissa asked giving her friend a look of skepticism.

"Aren't you curious if Puck has any crazy exes you should be worried about?"

"Well yea I guess, but shouldn't what's in the past stay in the past?"

"Here we go." Lani said flipping to the page she had been looking for instead of acknowledging Marissa's point she had been trying to make. "Quinn Fabray."

" Wait a minute what?" Marissa moving herself to the spot next to her friend to snoop over her shoulder.

"Do you know her or something?"

"Of her, maybe. Something Santana said about her and Puck and scandals on the first day of school. She's also that girl with the really bad hair dye job who likes to make rude comments about us at lunch."

"So maybe she really is a skank." Lani concluded.

"Does the girl in this photo really exude skanky to you?"

"I don't know. But what I do know is that Sam gave her a promise ring and she ended up cheating on him with Finn her ex who she had previously cheated on. So really when you put it that way she does seem kinda..."

"Finn, Rachel's boyfriend?"

"Yep."

"Wow."

"Do you want me to ask her about Puck?"

"I don't know." Marissa honestly wasn't sure if she wanted to know details of Puck's past relationships. It was in the past right? She should be thinking of the future and the present and anything but the past. On the other hand it might be useful to know if he had any psychotic exes she should be leery of. Would it be right to ask someone else about his life like that? If it was meant to be known, wouldn't he just eventually tell her?

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><p><em>I hear you talking<br>Well, it's my turn now  
>I'm talking back<br>Look in my eyes  
>So you can see just where I'm at<em>

_Lyrics-Autobiography by Ashlee Simpson_

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><p><strong>AN: Finally I was able to update it! Yay! I was going to continue on with this chapter but I think leaving it as a bit of a cliff hanger is more exciting! What do you think Marissa is going to decide? Will all of Puck's dirty secrets come out or will Marissa wait to hear it from Puck's mouth? This week is spring break so hopefully another chapter of this story will be available by the end of the week :) Make sure you subscribe for the latest updates and let me know what you think via review. Also what you hope happens in the story! Those are always fun to read. Thanks for R&amp;R-ing. <strong>

**Special thanks to:**

**xxTeardropKisses**

**Rachel-xox**

**msmechanic**

**Katastrophe101**

**Dalonega Noquisi**

**for your words and input on chapter 6! **


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